Protector
by TVFanoftheYear
Summary: Oliver would always be there for his little girl.


This fanfic was originally created as apart of a post for the Signed, Sealed, Delivered blog, Alameda & Downing. It's a bunch of O'Toole family fluff. Please enjoy, then go visit .com.

* * *

It was the sliver of light passing across his face that woke him. Slowly but surely, his eyes opened and adjusted. He looked immediately towards the door, once slightly ajar, now open much wider. A small figure cast a long shadow, and it wasn't long before the shape made its way to his side of the bed.

Light flashed outside, followed swiftly by a crack of thunder that caused the little figure to shudder.

"Sweetpea, did the storm wake you?" Oliver whispered quietly to the small child.

Grace nodded her head furiously, her eyes wide.

Oliver pushed himself up in the bed, resting his back against the headboard. Shane was still asleep beside him, the light not quite making it to her side of the bed. She was a much heavier sleeper than he.

Seeing the space her daddy made for her, Grace climbed up into the bed, careful to pull her favorite teddy bear blanket clutched in her arms up with her. Oliver reached out and pulled the toddler into his lap. He carefully straightened out the blanket as best he could.

Another flash of lightening filtered through the blinds of a nearby window, a crack of thunder quickly following. Oliver felt Grace clutching the fabric of his t-shirt as she nestled into his chest. He wrapped Grace up in her favorite blanket, pulling it tightly around the toddler and wrapping his arms protectively around her.

He was silent for a second, letting Grace get used to the rhythm of his breathing, hoping it would begin to calm the little one down. Secretly he adored when Grace sought him out. Before having a child, he never quite understood parents who claimed their children "grew up too fast." Though it made him contemplate how precious time is, the concept escaped him. As a father, he remembered the day Grace was born as if it was yesterday.

He remembered how small Grace had been, the nurse wrapping her in a mint green blanket and handing her to Shane. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Shane gently handed the child over for him to hold for the first time, and the minute he whispered her name and said hello, Grace's big blue eyes lit up and she smiled as if she had known him much longer than the brief few minutes she had been on earth.

And yet here she was at two years old, walking, talking and seeking him for comfort in a storm. Suddenly the years where she would no longer need him were too close for comfort.

"Don't be frightened," he whispered into her hair, rubbing small, soothing circles into her back. "What you hear outside are just lights and sounds and they can't hurt you in here."

Suddenly an anecdote popped into his head. He knew it wouldn't be long before he would have to correct the connection he was about to make-Grace was smart, and liked to share things she learned with people. But at present, he could think of no better way to try and reassure Grace that she was safe, and that the storm raging outside was nothing she should fear.

"Grace, you know how mommy or daddy gives you a bath every night before you go to bed?" he began, "What you hear outside is God giving the world a bath. The world doesn't get a bath every night like you do."

The further along he got, the sillier he felt saying it aloud. But as another roll of thunder sounded outside, Oliver noticed that Grace hadn't shuddered this time. The tiny grip on his t-shirt loosened as well. The sound of his voice must have been enough to comfort her. He continued.

"And you know how daddy sometimes drops your shampoo into the bath on accident? Those loud noises you hear are God dropping things into the bathtub on accident. He's a daddy, just like me," Oliver mused, proud of making the tenuous, but nonetheless familiar, connection. If Grace could understand what was happening outside in terms of things she didn't fear, then it would be no time before she overcame this fear of storms. If logic and his better judgment had to be sacrificed as a result, it was a price he was willing to pay.

Oliver buried his nose into her soft curls and kissed her head gently.

"You don't have to worry-Daddy will always be here to protect you, princess...always."

He pulled back slightly to see if her eyes were still open. Much to his surprise-and his comfort-the toddler has assumed an even breathing pattern and appeared fast asleep in his arms.

Oliver smiled. There was no greater sight in his universe than that of his little girl asleep. She was a precious jewel, just like her mother, whom Grace also looked just like.

A contented sigh escaped his lips, and he allowed his eyes to close. As they did, his last thought was a silent prayer that he would join his wife and daughter in their dreams.

* * *

Shane wasn't sure what woke her. But she welcomed the sun filtering through the shades on her side of the bed. It didn't take her long to realize she hadn't woken to the sound of an alarm clock or Oliver humming as he buttoned his shirt cuffs. It was Saturday.

Saturday meant sleeping in. She carefully turned over to see if Oliver was still asleep, and the sight she found made her wish she had a camera nearby.

Oliver was pushed up against their headboard, Grace was curled up in a tight little ball in his lap. He had a protective hold around the little girl. She must have been scared by the storm and come looking for someone to comfort her. She was a daddy's girl, no doubt, and Shane loved it. They were a precious pair, and the parts of Oliver that little angel nestled in his arms brought out of him were a constant surprise to Shane. It only made her love him more.

It was that overwhelming love that prompted her to gently scoot closer to the slumbering pair.

Shane gently ran her fingers through Graces golden-blond waves before giving her a kiss on her head. It still amazed her that this little life belonged to her and Oliver. They had made a life together, and now they were raising one together, too. There were no words to describe what a privilege it was. Shane was living a dream she never knew she had until she began living each and every second of it.

Shane turned her attention to her handsome husband, who managed to make a cotton t-shirt look as good as a any designer suit hanging in their closet. The innocent look on his face stirred inside of her the fiercest desire to kiss him. She strongly considered the prospect a second longer, but ultimately opted to forego it until he woke up. It was Saturday, and he deserved to sleep in. There would be plenty of time for that later.

A small yawn reminded Shane that she deserved more sleep as well, and Oliver's shoulder looked more desirable a resting place by the second. She leaned back and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder, an arm around her husband and daughter. The cotton of his t-shirt was so warm and soft it was easy to see how Grace had fallen asleep there. She now intended to do the same, and there was no place she would have rather been, that day or any other Saturday.


End file.
